Here She Rules: The Chronicles of Erla: Book 1 (43 page)

“Cassie?” Danai glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Yes, love?” Cassie smiled at the girl.

“I am ready to go home; I want my mother.” A tear slid from one violet eye and ran down her cheek, and Cassie leaned over to wipe it away.

“I will take you home immediately, then. The escort is due to arrive this morning, and we can leave as soon as they are rested and have fresh horses.” The little girl looked at her heroine with genuine gratitude shining in her lovely eyes.

“Thank you, Cassie. I have missed her so, and I was so scared she might be killed. I know I am a Princess, and I must act like I am not afraid, but even though she is the Queen, she is still my mommy,” Danai said, speaking in earnest. Cassie leaned over to give her a quick hug.

“I know, baby. I will get you home as soon as possible. I promise.” Danai nodded and smiled, wiping away the last of her tears and squaring her shoulders as they entered the town and headed for the Palace.

Later that day, the Erlan’s escort arrived and Cassie spoke with the Queen and Lee. It was decided that this was to be their last day in Tayliss on this visit.
 

Early the following morning, they said their goodbyes and collected letters to take back to Erla with them. Although disappointed, Saria understood Danai’s desire to be reunited with her mother.
 

Lee and Cassie embraced before Cassie mounted her horse, and a crowd gathered in front of the Palace, waving goodbye
and calling out, “Good journey.” The Erlans had rested well on their one night in Tayliss, so it was only a matter of exchanging their mounts for fresh horses and receiving provisions from the Queen’s pantry to get them back on the road.
 

Danai wore a sweet smile as she rode in front of Quinn on the way home, happy to be that much nearer to her mother.
 

The next day passed fairly quickly until Danai began losing her cheerful demeanor and became bored and cranky.
 

Cassie got to the point where she would ride at the front of the column as far from her charge’s complaints as she could get. It was left to poor Quinn to bear the brunt of her complaints, which he did quite gracefully. Even so, Cassie did feel very sorry for him.
 

She called a halt at midday for everyone to eat and rest before continuing on their journey. She helped some of the guards to find firewood so that they could enjoy a hot meal, and as she worked her way through the vegetation, she discovered a stream-fed pool that was delightfully clear and decided it was the perfect diversion for her little Mistress.
 

Returning to camp, she was in time to hear Danai upbraiding poor Quinn mercilessly.

“Your Highness!” Cassie said loudly, “I have found a very inviting pool in which we may bathe and swim in for a while. Would you care to join me?”
 

Danai’s eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, running to Cassie’s side.
 

“Ten of you, please join us and set up a perimeter around the pool,” Cassie said to her warriors, and the designated amount quickly followed her into the foliage.
 

The warriors stationed themselves equally around the pool as Cassie and the Princess disrobed and jumped naked into the pool, splashing and playing. Cassie was aware of the passing time and knew she needed to get back on the road or it would cost them another day’s travel, but Danai was laughing and enjoying herself so thoroughly that she was loath to make her leave.
 

Finally, Cassie pulled her young Mistress from the water, and drying her off, she helped her to get dressed. Then, they all made their way back to the camp.
 

When they were near to the camp, the hair on the back of Cassie’s neck stood on end, and her stomach fell. Something was wrong; she could feel it.
 

Putting a hand over Danai’s chattering mouth, she pushed her behind her and drew her sword quietly. Her movements alerted the warriors who had stood watch over them and now surrounded the princess, and they drew their weapons as well. Carefully, they made their way to the camp, and the sight that met their eyes horrified Cassie. A dozen or so of her warriors lay strewn about. Mortal wounds were evident, and the rest of the contingent was just gone.
 

The warriors inhaled sharply, anger building inside of them. All of them wondered who would dare attack an Erlan party in the middle of Queen Nera’s forests. Cassie made her way carefully from casualty to casualty, checking for signs of life while listening for any noises which would have been out of place.

“My Lady, what shall we do? Who could have done this?” asked a warrior, who had moved up to Cassie, speaking very quietly, unsure if the attackers still lingered nearby.
 

Cassie looked up as a horse snorted, and she saw they had been loosed. The loyal animals had stayed near the camp, and the rest were long gone.

“Why would anyone have taken our warriors captive?” Cassie wondered aloud.

“I do not know, Commander. What’s more, who would dare attack us here?” the warrior inquired. “There are eight missing Ladies and no sign of where they might have been taken.”

The women moved to catch and mount their horses. Cassie pulled Danai up in front of her.

“We cannot bury our dead at this time or even take them with us. Mark this place well, so that we may send a retrieval party. We must get Danai home safely above all else. Then, we will return and find our sisters!”

The warriors surrounding Cassie nodded and followed her as she set a quick pace, clutching Danai tightly as the little girl cried quietly, trying to hide her fear.
 

Cassie’s mind raced as she rode, unable to understand who could have done this and why. She mentally ticked off suspects and could not account for who may have done this.

“Lady Cassandra, will we make it home safely?” Danai’s small voice came to her on the wind.

“Yes, My Lady. I would give my life to see you safely home. Do not be afraid.” Cassie tightened her arm around Danai in an awkward hug.

“I know you will; no one can best you! You will kill whoever did this and keep my Queendom safe!” False bravery filled the little voice, and Cassie smiled grimly.

Just then, loud shouts sounded from behind them, and Cassie glanced back, her stomach roiling at what she saw.
 

Trevians
.
 

How? They had defeated them! Yet, there was no mistaking the huge brutish women.
 

Fear welled in Cassie’s chest. She
had
to get Danai away from them. They would be merciless with the Erlan Princess; even death would surely be better than what they would do to her.
 

The warriors looked at their Commander. Cassie met the eyes of Britta, one of her most loyal warriors, and nearly threw Danai into her arms.

“Ride! Ride for Erla as fast as you can! Secure the Princess’s safety!” Britta nodded, and without even breaking her stride, she pulled the Princess tightly to her and urged her horse into a gallop.
 

Cassie pulled her horse to a stop as Danai’s terrified cries echoed in her ears.
 

The remaining warriors fanned out around their Commander, ready to make a stand, giving their comrade time to get a good lead and save the Princess.
 

The Trevians thundered towards them and Cassie’s warriors drew their swords and daggers. Cassie did a quick head count. There appeared to be nineteen Trevians, and her warriors numbered ten beside herself.
 

It was a winnable scenario, but it would not be easy.

“No one remains! Once the battle is won, you will ride immediately for home and bring news to the Queen and a search party to find the remainder of our people. Is that understood? No matter what, get to Erla!” Cassie shouted, and they called out their agreement as the Trevians reached them and the battle was joined.
 

Cassie’s blade sliced through numerous opponents as she made her way towards the one who appeared to be in charge. The spineless manner in which the woman hung back surprised Cassie; the Trevians were brutes, but they were not usually cowards.
 

She caught sight of a Trevian swinging a blade towards one of her warrior’s backs and quickly pulled a knife from her belt and threw it. The blade sank into the Trevian’s right eye, foiling the attack.
 

The Erlan warrior turned to look at Cassie, saluting her Commander before diving back into the fray. Cassie quickly noted that none of her warriors had been killed, although they sported numerous cuts and abrasions.
 

As the battle wore on, the Erlan warriors proved victorious, and Cassie’s eyes fell once more on the cowardly Trevian, who now made to run as her comrades lay dead or dying.
 

Cassie gave chase quickly, yelling back an order for her warriors to return home; she assured them she would see them there soon. They were too well-disciplined to disregard her order, and they spurred their mounts on towards Erla—knowing their Commander followed close behind.
 

Cassie kicked her mount’s sides, determined that the bitch would not get away.

“Are you that much of a coward? You won’t even face your death like a woman, you rotten piece of shit?!” Cassie screamed out at the woman’s retreating back.
 

The Trevian turned slightly in the saddle and sent an obscene gesture Cassie’s way. That was all it took. Cassie pulled her dagger from her belt, aimed it, and then flung it as hard as she could towards the Trevian leader. The blade sailed through the air and thudded dead center into the woman’s back. Instantly, she screamed and fell to the ground.
 

Cassie rode up and leapt from the saddle. Drawing her sword, she drove it through the woman’s heart. She stared into the Trevian’s lifeless eyes for a moment before removing her dagger and wiping it and her sword on the woman’s clothing before jumping back into the saddle, heading at a gallop towards home.

The trees flew past at great speed as she gave her horse his head. Then, suddenly, she heard a screech to the side of her. Startled, she pulled roughly on the reigns, and her horse reared, causing her head to connect with a large tree limb. Cassie fell lifelessly to the ground, and her partially unsheathed sword raked the horse’s hide as she fell, causing him to neigh in distress and break into a gallop, leaving his Mistress behind—unconscious in the dirt.

XXVII

Cassie’s eyes opened to the view of the dappled canopy of tree limbs above her. Pain lanced through her skull, and when she touched the back of her head, her fingers came away covered in blood.
 

Unbeknownst to her, her sword scraped her horse’s rump. As she fell, the scabbard’s strap became tangled in the saddle. The sword then slapped at the horse’s side, spurring him on further and further away from his mistress. As a result, days later when he was found, he had reached the opposite side of the forest from where his mistress was lying unconscious.

The woman sat up slowly. The thundering in her head was nearly intolerable, and she wondered where she was. More than that, however, she wondered
who
she was.
 

Rising slowly to her feet, she had no idea what to do. Her mind was like a blank slate. She seemed to have basic knowledge, but beyond that, no recollection of any details regarding who she was or where she had come from or was now going remained. She did know she could not remain where she was. Night was falling, and the temperature was beginning to drop.
 

She walked quickly along a path, picking up dried branches, instinctively knowing she must start a fire if she wished to survive. A pouch at her waist yielded fire-making tools and some dried traveling food. She also found a long, cruel-looking dagger as well as a smaller knife.
 

As she gathered wood and looked for a suitable sleeping place, she took stock of her appearance. She was clad in knee-high boots, leather trousers, a long-sleeved linen shirt covered by a leather vest, and her long, brown hair was twisted into a braid.
 

The clothes should keep her from getting too chilled if she could get a good fire going and gather enough wood to keep it going throughout the night. In addition, the fire should also keep away any marauding animals.
 

When her arms were full, she moved off the path and found shelter under the arms of a huge, sprawling tree. She cleared a space near the trunk and laid a fire, surprising herself with the ease with which she got the fire started.
 

Once it had taken well and was crackling merrily, she moved out into the trees and brought back several more armfuls. She went out one more time in the twilight to relieve her needs and then gathered pine straw to make her bedding.
 

She sat before the blaze as the light faded, cradling her aching head in her hands and listening to the night sounds. The pain peaked, and she felt tears slip down her face from the force of it, so she quickly piled wood high on the fire and lay with her back to the tree. Facing the fire, she let consciousness slip from her.